The present invention relates to cigarette cartons containing cigarette packs, and more particularly to the connection of two separate cigarette cartons to form a dual carton for tax stamp application to the packs and subsequent separation into two single cartons.
Cigarette packs which usually contain twenty cigarettes are generally rectangular in shape, having front and back long walls and two short side walls. Cigarette cartons typically contain two rows of five cigarette packs per row with each row arranged so that the front long walls of the packs are in the same plane and the back long walls are in a parallel plane spaced from the front long walls. Such cigarette cartons are generally known in the art as ten-pack cartons. These cartons are generally filled with cigarette packs by the manufacturer, temporarily closed (e.g., by folding the top flap of the carton over the cigarette packs and releasably securing the flap in the closed position), and shipped to various distributors. The distributors generally open the cartons to apply tax stamps to the upper ends of the individual cigarette packs inside the cartons as required by the jurisdiction in which they operate. Such procedures are commonly automated to reduce time, cost, and labor through the use of specially designed machines for applying tax stamps. Tax-stamping machines have been developed to open the cartons, apply the stamps, and finally seal the cartons for distribution to retail locations and the like. Such machines are generally commercially available, and are well known in the art. These machines have been developed for standard ten-pack cigarette cartons. A typical tax-stamping machine is model FUSON manufactured by Meyercord of 365 East North Avenue, Carol Stream, Ill. 60187.
Single row cigarette cartons which are dimensioned to contain one row of five cigarette packs with each pack usually containing twenty cigarettes and the packs arranged so that the front long walls of the packs are in the same plane and the back long walls are in a parallel plane spaced from the front long walls, i.e., five-pack cartons, are also known in the art. However, although machinery exists for manufacturing such cartons, machinery does not exist for stamping the cigarette packs contained in such cartons. Consequently, such cartons are usually put into scored, glued, and collapsed cartons to be hand-stamped, or secured together in pairs to be run through the existent tax-stamping equipment in which packs in double row cartons are stamped. To assure that the tax stamp is properly registered, the means for securing the cartons must be strong enough to keep the cartons together such that they are not sheared apart by the vertical rollers of the tax stamping machines which roll along the vertical walls of the cartons to transfer the cartons between the various stages of the process.
If two narrow cartons are to be secured together, the means for securement must allow for later separation of the cartons by the retailer or consumer. For marketing purposes, once separated, the two cartons should have little or no trace of the means for securement which would disfigure the outward appearance of the cartons.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for the capability of manufacturing and distributing cartons narrower than those processed by existent tax-stamping machinery common to distributors, without requiring customized tax-stamping machinery or hand stamping of the packs.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide carton structure for securing two narrow cartons together to form a dual carton such that the two cartons do not move relative to one another while being transferred through tax-stamping machinery designed to process cigarette cartons having the dimensions of the dual carton.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide carton structure for making a clean separation between the two narrow cartons for sale as individual cartons.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide carton structure than enables opening of a dual carton for tax stamp application to cigarette packs therein without damage to the cover flaps of the carton and which enables easy separation of the dual pack carton into two narrow cartons at the point of sale.
These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished in accordance with the principles of the invention by releasably connecting two narrow cartons, such as five-pack cartons, together to form a dual carton, such as a ten-pack carton, which may be passed through commercially available tax-stamping machinery without carton damage.
A wide top closure flap is provided on one of the five-pack cartons and a narrow top closure flap is provided on the other five-pack carton. The flaps articulate about perforated fold lines that enable opening of the flaps for tax stamp application to the cigarette packs therein without carton damage, and subsequent closure of the flaps with adhesive therebetween. The perforated fold lines also enable top flap removal of the wide and narrow flaps as a single unit for easy and clean separation into two five-pack cartons. Each perforated fold line includes an absence of perforations a short distance from the end thereof where the flaps are initially opened for tax stamp application as well as a slit at the other end thereof to facilitate flap removal and easy separation into two five-pack cartons. The absence of perforations at the end where the flaps are opened strengthens the connection between the flaps and the surrounding carton material to prevent the flaps from being damaged during tax stamp application to the cigarette packs.